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A Study in Humility
“Check.”, Itsuki said as he moved a rook made of ice to a spot adjacent to Tsuki's king. After moving the piece, he looked at the sun that was high in the sky on this particular lazy Saturday afternoon. Tsuki, who was sitting across from him, scratched her head in frustration as she looked at the icy chessboard. “Would it hurt you to go on easy on me every once in a while?”, she spoke. There was silence after this question, suggesting that Itsuki was too deep in his thoughts to hear his close companion. This prompted her to repeat her question, this time a bit louder. “I don't go easy on you because I know you wouldn't like it in the long run,” he responded, looking back at Tsuki to give her a friendly and knowing smile. The remark stopped Tsuki from arguing any further since she knew he was right. She had a small smile on her face when she looked back at the board and moved her king out of check. Nothing else was said during the game because nothing needed to be said. This was normal for the two since they can seemingly communicate through eye contact alone. Finally, after half an hour. “Checkmate,” Itsuki spoke just when he sensed someone enter the guild hall. Atossa stowed her beloved Chimatsuri couplet in their respective scabbards, having cleaned them from her recent endeavor. Given their saturation in blood from the faction of bandits she had to put down, such an action was necessary. Yet she could nevertheless feel frustrated. The bandits' level had been laughably bad, to the point where she felt vaguely insulted. Thus it did little for her personal growth as she desired the S-Class designation within Hyakki Yagyō. Likely to have a sense of positive recognition rather than the 300 years of negative reinforcement that she had grown used to. Maybe she might even become less of a recluse though she doubted its likelihood. Ato didn't like her guild's preconceived notions after all, with many other members assuming her weakness just because of her humanoid appearance (she took after her father's side). To that extent she figured the S-Class label would be a good way to force their hand and make them recognize that she was someone of worth. It was then that she sensed the guildmaster and one of the four's relative proximity. Out of a rare curiosity she changed her trajectory in order to walk in their direction. Noticing the magic power signature drawing near, Itsuki looked up to see Atossa approaching him. At first he was confused as to what she could want until he noticed the look on her face. He could tell the frustration didn't come from failing mission since there didn't seem to be a scratch on her and he could smell the scent of blood on her sword. If her frustration wasn't from failing then Itsuki began to think it could come from her success. If that's the case, he had a faint idea as to what she is going to ask. "Did the mission go well?", Tsuki asked once Atossa got closer. Ato noted that Tsuki skipped the usual pleasantries yet nevertheless remained friendly. Atossa harrumphed in response. "Too well actually. They were trash, how they came to control even that amount of territory is beyond me." she responded, the already noted frustration coloring her voice. "How am I to improve when they're the kind of individuals I'll face?" The woman left out the part about the bandits deceased state, though she had a feeling that Itsuki could tell their current status. He was the observant sort after all. "As much as I hate admitting this, I'm going to need help leveling up. Especially if I'm snagging that elusive S-class standing." Atossa sighed, noting that her centuries had not taught her patience. Then again, its hard to learn anything socially related when you spent your time in isolation. "Mastering the basics is a good way to improve.", Itsuki said, smiling at Tsuki. Tsuki noticed his smile and knew that the comment was directed at her instead of Atossa, specifically about her skills in chess skills. "Hilarious," Tsuki murmured as she propped her head on her elbow. Itsuki is very strict with whom he chooses to give the title of S-class mage to. This was evident by how there have only been five S-class mages in Hyakki Yagyō's history. Tsuki, Lilith, Gyūki, Taiga who is now dead, and NaVarro who has taken Taiga's place. There is run other mage in the Hyakki Yagyō who could be classified as an S-Class mage. However, while this person had more than enough strength to be classified as an S-Class mage she had a more important title: Nurarihyon's Hand. Plus, most members believe that Nurarihyon's Hand exists so even if she was an S-Class mage many wouldn't count her. "How do you want me to help you improve and why stop at the title of S-Class mage? If you really want respect you should try to take the title of Nurarihyon's Hand from its current owner.", Itsuki questioned. "One step at a time is something that you should abide by. Even if you began planning several moves ahead." Atossa responded. Perhaps she had learnt a thing or two about patience. "I guess all manners would suffice. Those bandits didn't challenge me in a single aspect. Be it physical, intellectual, magical, or mental attributes. Thus help in such matters would be greatly appreciated." she continued. There was a sense of her having difficulty in admitting this. After all, she was asking people several decades her junior for help in this matter, something that didn't necessarily sit well with her. But if Ato was to put those other more troublesome members in their place, such an act was necessary. So her pride would have to bite the bullet for the time being. A small smile appeared on Itsuki's face when he learned of her reason. The smile seemed to suggest that he was pleased with the answer she gave him. "Sure, I have one other question before we start though. It's a deep question so think carefully. Why do you want respect and power?", Itsuki asked. "Everyone wants respect and power, but few know why. If you want to be an S-Class mage you must know why, just like the Four Generals.", he continued. She laughed bitterly at his final question. Though he was wise beyond his age Itsuki still appeared to lack the recognition of her existence. "Perhaps I want to be left in peace for once. Maybe I'm tired of rejected from both sides that constitute me, labeling this half as "undesirable" in a friend or acquaintance. I'm afraid you didn't have to confront such issues with your parents and siblings there to support and protect you. My family? Couldn't care less. But yes, it would be restful to be able to traverse through society without hearing or feeling whispers behind your back. Because even the hermit grows tired of living on his own." Atossa responded. The temperature inside the guild hall suddenly plummeted to temperatures far below zero degrees Fahrenheit as Tsuki's anger rose at Atossa's remark. She quickly channeled wintry magic power to her eyes, which caused her sclera to grey and her irises to turn yellow before glaring at Atossa. If Atossa made the mistake of looking Tsuki would be able to use the wintry magic power to attack Atossa's mind in order to trap her in an illusion. In this illusion Atossa will see nothing but an unending winter wasteland. The illusion would be so realistic that it could instill the feeling of hopelessness and loneliness in her, and have her feel an overwhelming sense of dread. "You think Itsuki had his parents to comfort him?! This proves you don't know anything. His past was a living-", Tsuki was cut off when Itsuki rose his hand. "I'm thirsty Tsuki, could you please get me a glass of water?", Itsuki said kindly. Tsuki looked at Itsuki for awhile before getting up to do as he asked. He turned his attention back to Atossa and let out a small sigh to relax his nerves. "Sorry about that. Anyway, perhaps you misunderstood my question. You could accomplish your goals with fear. So why choose respect over fear, that's what I want to know. After all: respect and fear are two sides of the same coin and both can accomplish pretty much the same thing.", he said. "Because fear is pointless. While it commands the attention of your inferiors it does nothing to establish a relationship. All it breeds is resentment and a target on your back. You only last as long as you can stave of elimination. With hatred only growing each time you emerge alive and well. It's a pointless endeavor and I'd prefer not to spend the rest of my existence looking over my shoulder. After all, I've already tried that route for about 300 years. And it sucks. So perhaps I'm interested in something new. A time where I can walk about without worrying who might try to complete the job so many others have failed at. Since you see I'm still very much here and very much breathing." Atossa responded. A wicked grin adorned her face before melting away into a frown. "Essentially it would be nice for people to know your name for the "right" reasons as opposed to the wrong ones. Hence the establishment of respect as opposed to the fickle fear." she finished. The hybrid had ignored the Yuki-onna's outburst from earlier, noting that she may have erred in regards to Itsuki's background. Then again she wasn't well acquainted with her fellow hybrid, leaving his past as much an enigma to her as the woman's own remained to him. Nevertheless, she noted the gap in power between herself and the raging Tsuki Something that took a tremendous toll on her ego causing Atossa's frown to deepen. Itsuki released small particles of magic power and disrupted it across the guild hall. Once disrupted he heated up the particles, allowing him to slowly return the temperature to normal. "Good answer, would you like to start the training now?", Itsuki said as he rose to his feet. Itsuki stayed silent for a while as he decided for a good place to train her. "If you are I guess the best place would be behind the guild.", he continued. "There's no time like the present." she responded before preparing to head to the decided destination. Once settled Atossa readied her beloved weaponry, noting that the weapons had been her closest thing to companionship. If you can call the wielding of weapon such a relationship that is. "So what shall we start with?" Ato asked aloud, noting Itsuki's efforts from earlier to counteract the presence of his Guild Ace. A woman who's presence remained even after she had left the room. "Looks like these children are even stronger than I thought." Atossa muttered to herself. Wondering if she would have reached greater heights already had they existed earlier. Nevertheless she wasn't one to dwell on what ifs, returning her attention to the affairs at hand. "He walked out of the back door of the guild hall. There was a large patch of grass behind the guild, just big enough to be perfect for training and sparing. In the past, Itsuki would use this patch to teach his niece, Kanami Caust, some things. Now, he is using it to teach yet another person. "First I want to see what you've got. I can't train you properly unless I have a clear understanding of your skills. Of course, I could use Battlemeld to do this, but I think you will agree that is too boring.", Itsuki said. Atossa smiled. "Indeed it would. I might have tears from such blasé." she responded before moving to just behind Itsuki. Unsheathing her swords in rapid fashion she aimed two slashes at his unprotected back utilizing each blades delicately honed sharpness. She expected him to be able to defend against such a maneuver given his standing as the guildmaster. Though whether he expected it to be executed at such a speed was the primary question. Nevertheless Atossa was curious to see what he had to offer in terms of abilities. Having spent most of her time away from the main guild would likely lead to discoveries by both participants. A shiver went down Itsuki's spine a few seconds before the assault to alert him of the attack. This gave Itsuki enough preparation time to channel magic power to his feet to give a quick burst of speed. He used this speed to effortlessly evade the strike. Now that the attack was evaded Itsuki was free to focus the magic power infused with his clothes to his right index finger. His magic power acted like magnet by drawing in and absorbing some of the ambient ethernano. The sudden charge that the ethernano gave would rapidly excite his magic power to increase its density greatly. From here, the guild master used Shape Transformation to force the magic power to spin the ethernano in all directions before flowing more magic power into the sphere. The mass of ethernano and magic power is then shaped into a sphere in front of Itsuki's index finger. By simply point at Atossa, Itsuki was able to fire the sphere of magic power at her shoulder. The sphere would travel towards its intended target at very high-speeds thanks to its small size. It is so small in fact that Atossa could see it only if she had very keen eyesight or a sensory magic. If the ball were hit her shoulder, the magic power would burst to inflict quite a lot of damage while at the same time throwing Atossa back. As luck would have it, the woman had an eye for details. Causing her to detect this rapidly approaching object before teleporting once more to avoid its blow. Allowing it to fly harmlessly into the distance before causing a spectacular explosion. Atossa winced as she thought about what would have happened if that thing had managed to connect. Though she noted that he applied his magic internally to boost himself out of reach. Noting the etherano disturbance that signified this speed was not necessarily his own, having been activated to evade her assault. Twirling the two armaments to retain a better grip, she stared him down once more. Sighing she sheathed her swords. "You're a fast one." she said before teleporting a few feet away from him. Gathering herself she charged at full speed, preparing a frontal assault as she bore down on him. Before switching to his blindside and adopting her Iaidō stance. Releasing four slashes in rapid succession. Signifying a much high speed then the previous attempt as each was interconnected on the most basic level. After all the style was designed to move at a pace that was indiscernible. With masters cutting down their opponents and sheathing their swords before the adversary realizes the armament was utilized. It could be assumed that Atossa had mastered this to its fullest extent if not beyond thanks to a greater lifespan than those humble mortals. Once again, Itsuki's danger sense went off to alert him of the oncoming danger. With lightning quick reflexes, Itsuki managed to ducked below the assault. In the midst of doing so he spun on his heels to face. Charging the coherent particles of ethernano around his left hand with magic power, Itsuki was able to excite the constituent particles of ethernano, allowing Itsuki to greatly increase the density of the ethernano particles. The ethernano will begin to seek equilibrium and self-stabilize while being reflected and amplified by the magic power. He used this reflection and amplification to fire a large and hyper-condensed ray of magic power. Instead of firing it at Atossa, however, he would have the palm of his left hand face downward so that the ray was directed at the ground. The ray would hit the ground with enough force to release a powerful omnidirectional shockwave that would send Itsuki's opponent flying back if it were to hit her and it would launch himself high into the sky. Now that he was in the sky, Itsuki used his index finger to point at the ground below him so that he could rain hundreds of small Magic Balls at Atossa and the patch of grass below him. Atossa was starting to become annoyed with this guy's speed. Though she noted his raw magic manipulation was nothing to sneeze at. Part of was curious about adding that to her repertoire in order to diversify her skillset. But first she had to deal with the shockwave that sent her careening backwards. Bracing herself against a nearby construct she began a defensive stance as the barrage rained down from the sky with great persistency. Irking her more until she saw Itsuki's positioning in such a backdrop. A slow grin alighted her face as she cut down magic ball after magic ball before disappearing once more. Positioning herself right above him while recognizing he had nowhere to go, she brought down a powerful two sword maneuver that could be compared to a drop kick. Intending to leave him as a giant crater in the earth. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to show her what type of magic I use.", Itsuki thought as his helpful danger sense alerted him once again. He quickly released a surge of magic power from his body briefly, putting ambient particles of ethernano suspended within the atmosphere under his thrall while siphoning the essence of his magic power into the environment in order to have that's classified as the properties of his energy hewn from his soul interact with the masses of magical particles in the vicinity as well as his own magic power. After this, he focuses in order to install within these energies his thoughts of what lies beyond the earth, space, and everything detailed within that region, enabling him to shift his own magic power and other particles into the primary energy of Chaos Arts, Sacred Aether. The aether would then be shaped by Itsuki's mental commands alone into the shape of a four-layered shield made only of aether. When the sword made contact with the shield, Itsuki focused more magic power in the shield, allowing it to absorb the kinetic energy of the attack. The same kinetic energy that was absorbed would be released right back at Atossa in the form of a powerful shockwave. "Extension: Rhea's Absorption and Rejection.", Itsuki said. Atossa reacted in surprise when her attack was rebutted. Noting the foreign origins of this magic set. Having encountered it once in all of her centuries. The shockwave predictably sent her backwards before she cut through its center, stopping its momentum but leaving her in the sky. Using a teleport point she stood on a treetop before staring at Itsuki. Suitably impressed if not annoyed by that convenient danger sense that allowed to evade or defend against three of her attacks. "It must be nice to be able to watch your own back." she spoke aloud, before putting her swords away. A contemplative expression adorned her face as the training session appeared to be at an ebb. That she hadn't been able to make a single dent was something she had already expected, remembering his potency from that night of revelry and mass-murder. Nevertheless, Ato had hoped her prediction would be incorrect. "I suppose you have a good grasp of my general abilities now." she shrugged, already considering ways to circumvent that troublesome danger sense. Itsuki fell back to the ground and used the ethernano in the ground to cushion his fall. "Pretty much, expect for one thing. I was wondering if teleporting yourself and others is all you can do with your spatial magic.", Itsuki questioned. Despite the fact that the fight seemed to be over, Itsuki still was in a guarded and prepared stance. "For example: one of Cerberus's Personas, Miku, can fold space inwards to create a powerful shockwave.", he continued. "Personally I've never tried manipulating the properties of space in such a manner." Atossa admitted, "I mostly approached in the aspect of playing chess, with every individual or object a piece on the board. The idea of condensing or shaping space sounds interesting though." She thought about using Spatial Magic in such a manner, causing some new ideas to pop into her head. Perhaps facing these children wasn't such a bad idea after all. Lessons already derived from their suggestions proved that even elders could learn from the youth. Atossa smirked at this thought while noting Itsuki guarded demeanor. "Um the bout is over you know..." she suggested, her posture relaxed as the woman began to ponder. "I know.", Itsuki responded without changing his body posture. "How about you try doing that right now. Try folding space in front of me.", Itsuki said. He glanced at the guild hall when he remembered just how powerful the shockwave could be if it isn't controlled. "To challenge you more, let's say the guild hall should not be damaged in the slightest. If you do you have to fix whatever is damaged by hand and without magic.", he added. Atossa smirked. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." she retorted before concentrating on the current task. Given the proponents of what was asked, she decided that it would be medium in difficulty. So she removed any distractions from her mind and activated her magic. Instead of using it in a move point manner however, she deliberately folded over the existing space, meticulously stacking it upon itself before rolling it into the shape of sphere. Condensing the world around them in a somewhat perceptible manner. Grinning at the shape only she could see, Ato moved the space sphere upwards before releasing it, causing the shockwave to safely spread above the guild, leaving it unharmed. "Cool." she grinned once more at her handiwork, new ideas springing to her mind at what could be done. "Perhaps a new form of Spatial Magic is in order." Atossa thought aloud. The look on the guild master's face was leaning more towards relief that nothing was damaged rather than impressed that nothing was damaged. This shouldn't be much of a surprise because it is very difficult to impress Itsuki for the same reason it is difficult to anger him. He is too easygoing. In a serious fight he uses this personality trait combined with his danger sense to near-instantaneously adapt to an opponent's fighting style. "I guess that was too easy for you. Do you want to try something a little bit harder?", Itsuki asked. "Well I am 300 years old. It would stand to reason that I've learned a thing or two." she retorted with a grin. Though her curiosity peaked when he made the suggestion of a more difficult task. "Sounds interesting. What do you have in mind?" Atossa asked, rolling her neck and shoulders to work out any tightness. Part of her was glad the guild remained undamaged. The idea of having to rebuild without magic usage sounded terrifying if not outright insane. Not that she was incapable of completing the task; rather she would prefer not expending such effort on something so mundane. Particularly when there was work to be done in sharpening her skills. "Let's see you try and clone a section of space like Miku can. Focus on what you want to clone and paint a mental picture in your head. Imagine that your magic power be the paint and the spatial area you want to clone be the brush.", Itsuki instructed. If she succeeded in doing this just as easily Itsuki could think of hundreds of more tasks to give her all of which would eventually let Itsuki get a rough idea of Atossa's limits. Atossa nodded at his analogy. She first studied their current location. Finding the forest line she was looking for, Ato began concentrating. Taking a mental snapshot of the appearance and feel of the forest line space before replicating it's shape. She copied it patiently, causing the forest to extend and further encroach on the space they were residing in. Each replication easier than the last. After repeating this over and over again, she paused. Regarding the space once more, Atossa decided to copy it once more. This time however, she took the new one and condensed it, making a perfect model of the space around her that was also small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. Sighing, she repainted its original form, returning the world to what it was prior to her imitation. "That's pretty cool." she admitted. "Let's try fighting again. This time only use what you have learned or any other way you can think of using space. Your only restrictions is you can't use space to teleport and you have to do everything with space including attacking and defending. This means no swords.", Itsuki instructed. With any luck, this fight will push Atossa in the direction she needed to gain the ability to manipulate space with her mind. This will hopefully increase what she can do further if she was lucky and dedicated. Itsuki smiled with a competitive gleam in his eyes and said, "If that is too hard for you let me know and I will think of something else." Atossa leveled a glare at him after he completed that last sentence. "So uppity." she retorted as she put her sword away. Her gold gaze burned with infernal glee. "Age before beauty" she mocked with a bow, playfully referencing his old soul. Atossa condensed the space around Itsuki, slowly shrinking its dimensions while carefully maintaining an outlook that mimicked the current world and landscape. Painting a picture that contrasted with what was actually occurring. Teleportation felt rudimentary in comparison to what she was now attempting. "Perhaps I was right in abandoning the way of the hermit." she thought, noting that this would likely be just one lesson of many. All of which would contribute to greater success in the future. And greater versatility that allowed her to not rely solely on the sharpness of her blade. Itsuki's danger sense tingled and a smile appeared on his lips. "Nice try.", he said. The guild master would release a thick S-class aura and focused all of its pressure in Atossa's direction in the hopes of breaking her concentration while at the same propelling her back. While Itsuki didn't seem to have made any other move besides that there seemed to be something off about him. Massive as ever. It befitted a guildmaster to have such a behemoth and fearsome presence. Yet she was undeterred from her current trajectory, noting that while somewhat cumbersome, the pressure was rather agreeable. "Surely you can do better than this." she noted aloud. Her centuries in this world had led to several encounters with people of various types and dispositions. Hence the utilization of practiced aura control, though impressive in its own right, remained not compelling in Atossa's mind. Nevertheless, she continued on her way, speeding up slightly as she felt the aura push her back. Though her concentration remained undiminished. And more importantly undivided. She would give it her all to succeed whether is danger sense continued to impede her or not. "That's not enough huh? Let's try something else." Itsuki thought to himself. Using his vast knowledge regarding magic, Itsuki merged the piece of azoth in his body with his magic power to create inner azoth. Afterwards, he draws in the ethernano around him into his body so that he can use his desires of achieving complete enlightenment to mutate and purify the ethernano. The mutated ethernano is then merged with Itsuki's Inner Azoth in order to give it unique abilities and transform it into Resonating Azoth. Without a moment of hesitation Itsuki uses this mutated piece inner azoth to synchronize the piece within Tsuki with his own. He used this connection to borrow Tsuki's Bloodline Magic: Winter Magic and thus give him the ability to use the magic. "Arctic Flash," Itsuki said as he swiped his arm horizontally. The moment he did so everything around him froze instantly even the massive guild hall was now covered in a thick layer of ice and Atossa would be frozen to if she wasn't careful or didn't do anything to protect herself. In the process the temperature fell to well below zero. The guild master didn't stop there. He gestured to a spot right above Atossa's head and used Tsuki's winter manipulation ability to summon ten lances of ice above Atossa's head. The lances didn't rain down on her, however, they just stayed suspended in the air to force a reaction out of Atossa or else they would rain down on her. She raised a quizzical eyebrow as she felt magic aura both within him and outside of him change. If she had to describe the feeling, the etherano had lost its simplicity, becoming far colder than usual. As the wave was unleashed she figured out why it felt so familiar; it resembled Tsuki's outburst from a few hours earlier. Though she noted this variant was far more controlled. As far as she knew, he didn't possess such magic; hence he must have borrowed it from another source. She made a note to ask him about the details later. "Stealing another's magic albeit temporarily is rude you know." Ato retorted as the ice stopped short of her. She separated her concentration, inverting the space in her immediate vicinity for the sake of preventing such ice from reaching her. Thus the ice found itself taken for a trip before being disposed of. Chancing a look up, Atossa found an unwelcoming sight in the form of ten lances, apparently ready to skewer her should she not demonstrate some level of action. Nevertheless, that he could borrow another's magic and use it so proficiently prove that he was worthy of his title. Not that she didn't find such skills irritating. She elected to stay the course, comfortable with such death residing above her. Atossa continued to maintain her game plan, progressing at a rate that pleased her. This separation in concentration was all Itsuki needed. He pounced on this opportunity, yet nothing happened. Nothing changed and everything appeared to normal. He frowned for a second as if he expected something to happen and the barely noticeable sensation that something was off that lasted no longer than a second. "Odd... You felt that too right," Itsuki asked to make sure he wasn't going crazy. His tone of voice and behavior suggested that he was genuinely worried about the sensation. Once the feeling past he and he finished speaking he thought nothing more of these two things and put it at the back of his mind to think about later with a shrug of his shoulders. Now that his mind was back on the fight he used his magic power to siphon the properties of winter that are produced naturally in Tsuki's body into the ambient ethernano. This caused the area to undergo a dramatic change. Turning the once icy area into a complete winter wasteland. The thick layer of snow that was now on the ground began to drain space itself of Atossa's magic power in the hopes of reversing the effects. Atossa gave the smallest of nods, the sensation sending a shiver down her spine. "That felt weird. Yet it left as soon as it came." she noted carefully. She then watched as the land underwent another dramatic change, going from an icy tundra to a winter wonderland. The woman continued to be impressed, noting how quickly such a change occurred. "It's almost like the magic is your own. Almost." Ato conceded. Nevertheless she felt the pushback as the winter overlay tried to remove her presence from the space around her. She responded by doubling down, visualizing the continuum in her mind. Grasping at the world while intertwining her essence into the very order they resided in. Such a task required a more concerted effort than previous applications. Yet she wove endlessly, steadily bringing the world in line with her will. Such a feeling while exhausting proved exhilarating. It made her wonder why she hadn't experimented with such abilities earlier. Then again, the life of hermit likely inhibited the idea of toying with things due to a steadfast desire to remain apart. Thus isolation appeared to have its downfalls. Nevertheless, she was still bothered by that feeling from earlier; something about it served to perturb the woman. "Tsuki has been by my side for long so it is only natural that I learn a thing or two about her signature magic," Itsuki said. He let himself reminisce in the memories of before he was a demon lord for a brief second before returning his mind to the task at hand. Itsuki gestured downward to cause the lances made of ice above Atossa's head to fall toward her at high velocities. Meanwhile, Itsuki would have the aura of magic power that was surrounding his body to disappear. "Winter Hell: Cursed Blizzard," Itsuki spoke. He siphons wintry magic power to the ambient ethernano in the atmosphere. This allows him to alter the environment to his wishes to bring forth an exponentially large raging blizzard that contains a lot of magic power. The amount of magic power allows the blizzard to hide Itsuki from all forms of detection and give him the ability to teleport anywhere in the battlefield. He would then launch a barrage of medium sized spheres of magic power at Atossa. She continued to look for the thing that perturbed her space-time. It was quickly becoming a sixth sense, one that alerted her to the feeling from earlier. "Bastard." she muttered under her breath as she pulled the space-time taunt before cutting it. Perhaps it was not a moment too soon, for she found quite objects headed her way from both above and below. Her mood soured once more as the ice spears landed in a symmetrical pattern around her, forming a wonderfully concise circle after being manipulated by cutting. Pulling out a lance, she spun it experimentally before throwing facing the rapidly approaching spheres. Part of her concentration still focused on probing, cursing herself for ignoring that feeling as it continued to irritate her. Something felt off still. Atossa roared as she sliced through the magic spheres in quick succession. She began to contemplate where he could have disappeared to. Now that he was on the offensive Itsuki decided to teleport to a location a few feet behind Atossa and fired a barrage of Magic Balls at her. Right afterwards he teleported a few feet to the right of her and fired another barrage of Magic Balls. He continued that process and in less then a second Atossa was completely surrounded by fast moving Magic Balls that are coming at her from all directions even from above. He knew that this wouldn't be enough and that she would more than likely block all of them so he used Tsuki's power to turn his body into snow and seep into the snow on the ground and waited. The off feeling still rankled the woman even as the all-out onslaught bore down on her. Seeing all possible escape routes covered, she felt her grasp on the space-time call for her attention once more. It was closer, this discontent that continued to besiege her. Perturbed, Ato tugged upon the continuum, creating a rip that swallowed both the balls and her, disrupting the current operation. Atossa then blinked as the snow disappeared and the reason for her previous sensation clicked. "Bitch. FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT." she roared, profanity pouring out of her mouth like a waterfall. She was justifiably pissed, not necessarily at Itsuki (though he would likely have some of the rage directed at him) but herself for being duped so easily. It was a sign of complacency that speculated came from decades if not centuries of isolation. Most had learned to leave her alone during those dark days; but she weakened as a result. It was a tough pill to swallow; one made all the more difficult by her mediocre social skills. "Don't beat yourself up too much. At least you got out of it and that is a lot better than most. Some of my opponents are still in an illusion several years later since they automatically believed they were back in reality once they broke through one illusion when the illusion was actually multilayered," Itsuki said. "Now that I think about it what proof do you have that you aren't in the same situation? This could all be another illusion that I placed on top of the first one when you got out," he continued showing a bit of the demonic side of his personality. Itsuki was sitting on the ground and had been sitting throughout Atossa's time in the illusion. He stood up slowly after speaking. "The only option you have is to trust is my word and I lied to you in the illusion so what is stopping me from lying to you again? I guess what I am asking you is who or what do you go to for comfort when reality itself could be lying to you. All four of The Four Great Generals and the Nurarihyon's Hand have answered this and now it's your turn. When you think of an answer come to me and if your answer is truthful you would have taken your first step on the path to becoming an S-Class." Itsuki didn't want drones to be S-Class mages. He wanted his S-Class mages to be a group of mages who had unwavering faith not in him exactly, but in themselves. Unwavering faith that the option of trusting Itsuki unconditionally was the right choice. Every one of The Four Great Generals had this even Tsuki who often acts like she trusted Itsuki blinded. Her loyalty for Itsuki is undying, but she is also on her toes and questioning Itsuki's actions. This test was to see if Atossa can do the same. Trust him unconditionally, but find a way to be always suspicious. "That's easy for you to say. I'm supposed to have 3 centuries of experience to draw from. Though perhaps I didn't use those years as well as I should have." Ato noted aloud, thinking about her self-imposed isolation once more. "Look, I'm sorry about being snappish earlier and questioning the extent of your suffering. If you can't tell already, I'm not the most social individual which is likely the fault of mine. Thus the ability to think before I speak can occasionally elude me. But that's no excuse. So I thank you for your patience while I sort myself out." she continued, issuing a rather genuine apology. Though not perfect, it was promising; if anything it was quite unlike her. She normally was the blunt, unapologetic type whose uncaring demeanor was a reflection of the society that rejected her. Atossa's thoughts then shifted to his question. "The extra time won't be necessary. I will tell you my answer now. How do I know that I'm free of the illusion? Frankly I don't; not with complete certainty anyways. However, I have faith in myself that I can discern such a difference with my intuition. While not perfect, its what brought me to this guild in the first place. Otherwise I'd still be moping around in whatever dwelling I decided to call home. Perhaps it's the reason why I sought you out today. Either way, I learned something today; that it was time to come out of my shell and engage the world once more. It's amusing that someone so young would have to teach me this; but I suppose you bear a fresher perspective on the current landscape. One unburdened by centuries long prejudice and grudges. I've missed quite a bit in that my time alone, and you helped me realize this. That is why I trust you, because you've helped me begin to see the errors of my ways and things that I missed. Nevertheless, you have your fair share of skeletons residing in your closet; by no means are you perfect." she paused, no doubt picking up his temporary demonic aura. "At the end of day you're of demon blood. They're quite the devious and unpredictable creatures; some might say even volatile. I should know, I am one." Ato finished while standing. She would trust him for who he is and suspect for what he could be. Lies and truths was a game that Ato had become familiar with. It appeared the time had come to play once more.